Encouraging Each Other

Making the Most from Healthcare Resources

posted by Admin Faber

3 May 2016

0 Comments

Waits, delays and cancellations are so common in healthcare industry that patients assume that waiting is an unavoidable part of the system. For years hospitals have been responding to delays by adding more resources – more beds and building or more staff. But it is not the only way to the deal with the increasing demand.

Further as long as the payment for services cover the cost, more staff and more construction lead to more inefficiency in the system. Not all healthcare organizations can afford this solution. Moreover recent research on assessing the reasons for delays suggests that adding resources is not the only answer. In several cases delays are not a resource problem but they are problems relating to efficiency and utilization. The solution is straightforward – use medical resources more appropriately.

In any hospital, the Operation Theatre (OT) is said to be one of the primary source of revenue generation with around 50-60 % of the revenue earned and also represents an area of considerable expenditure in a hospital budget, which calls for maximum utilization to ensure optimum cost-benefit.

Hence OT utilization is one of the areas of attention for many. Also, case cancellations on the day of surgery, due to suboptimal utilization of theatre time, is a well-recognized problem in hospitals, ranging from 10% to 40% across different health care systems worldwide, more than 50% of which could potentially be avoided.

There has been increasing interest in improving turnaround time for OTs via various operational excellence practices to shorten the preparation and other non-value adding (Muda in Lean terminology) times.

To assess OT utilization, a study of utilization of available resource hours via Swim Lane Process Mapping is an important tool. Such a study indicates the factors that need to be improved for optimal utilization of the available operating time. Variability (Mura in Lean terminology) of case duration also makes it difficult to predict the actual utilization. Even for routine operations, actual case time is uncertain. Each patient is different, and the actual time for a given operation cannot be predicted. If scheduling of cases is done according to the available resource hours and communication between pre-operative personnel, i.e. patients, surgeons, nurses, anesthesiologists etc., is improved, the efficiency of OTs can be improved. Additional audits similar to this are required to critically analyze the utilization of available resource hours, keeping in mind the variability of case-mix.

Another important aspect is better utilization of the personnel resources in the hospital be it surgeons, nurses or anesthesiologists. Time is physician’s most important resource. Harnessing time by creating workflows and processes can boost physician and staff productivity, increase revenue and improve patient care. It starts with putting detailed processes in place that physicians and employees can turn to when navigating challenges, allowing each practice member to do the work they are trained to do, and freeing up the physician to do what he or she does best: treat patients. It can be improved by increasing the value adding elements.

A change is needed in the way healthcare is delivered. The key in the change is process optimization. This requires a close alignment between the healthcare process, healthcare organizations and information about the patient. However, current organizational structures and information systems offer only sub-optimal support. Emphasis needs to shift from a physician-oriented, intra-departmental view towards a patient-oriented, end-to-end health chain view.

The need of the industry is optimization of processes and resources. Improving operations and efficiency will not only help the patients but could unlock the largest potential source of income for the organization.

Written by: Faber Mayuri Pandya

Mayuri Pandya is Head Research & Analytics and one of the core members of Faber Infinite Consulting,with operations in Asia Pacific,Africa & Middle East. She holds a masters degree in Marketing Managementwith her 1st degree being in IT Engineering.

This article was originally published on Economic Times – ETHealthworld.com as part of Operational Excellence in Healthcare Industry series. Original link available here.

Team Faber Infinite Consulting has associated with Confederation of Indian Industries (CII) on several occasions.
We are pleased to announce that during the 8th Edition of Maintech 2018 organized by CII Baroda on 25th May 2018, team Faber Infinite Consulting is called upon as knowledge partner of this summit.
Eminent thought leaders and experts from Industry will share best practices and case studies focusing on new ideas & initiatives in modern technologies. The objective of this conference is to provide new insights, showcase and help corporates to build & put in place effective strategies and to take the importance of maintenance to new heights.
#FaberInfinite

Lean manufacturing is one of the hot topics for waste reduction and manufacturing in large quantities all around the world. It is one of the most sought out manufacturing process to reduce ingrain efficiency in the manufacturing processes and reduce wastes at the same time. It is also widely recognized as a proven method to improve labour productivity as well.
In this blog, we will enlighten our readers with tools to reduce the amount of waste in their production processes which will ultimately help them in beaming their steps towards lean manufacturing.
Read further to know more.
#FaberInfinite #manufacture #labour #productivity

Customer services are a vital influencer in keeping the business at the brim of profits. It is a well-known fact that customer retention is more important and effective in a business rather than customer acquisition and providing better customer services helps one in doing the same.
Read this blog further for better understanding.
Team Faber Infinite has been helping companies focus more on creating a more sustainable structure of customer services rather than just for the namesake. We help them design a well-devised customer strategy that can assist them in creating a better customer experience.
Contact us to learn more.
#Faberinfinire

Team Faber Infinite has associated with Confederation of Indian Industries (CII) on several occasions.
We are pleased to announce that during the 2nd Defence Conclave organised by CII Gujarat on 11th May 2018, team Faber Infinite Consulting was called upon as knowledge partner of this summit.
#Faberinfinite

This is an article on 'Operational Excellence' recently published in the leading magazine in Zambia know as 'The Zambian Manufacturer'.
"Operational Excellence is the key to business success. It's not just a philosophy, but a concept that helps to improve business performance thus leading to organisational success"
Read this article to know more

We congratulate our esteemed client Strongpak on achieving yet another feat. This time, it is been recognized as ‘Most Consistent Employer Award’ by Ministry of Labour, Zambia and the award was presented by Her Honor Inonge Wina, the Vice President of the Republic of Zambia during labor day celebrations in Kitwe on 2nd May 2018. This is coveted award as it appreciates Strongpak’s handling of workers matters in the areas of health & safety and staff welfare.
On behalf of team Faber Infinite , our heartiest wishes to the Strongpak team and we wish them all the success.

Read this blog further to understand the concept of "Craft customer centricity for holistic development in business"
As we all know that Customers are the sole influencer in making a business profitable!
As Team Faber Infinite Consulting has been helping organizations in doing business with the customers in such a way that it provides a positive customer experience before as well as after the sale to drive repetitive business, profits and loyalty. Organizations need to go that extra mile and work towards providing more than the goods or service.
#FaberInfinite #Blog #Solution #Consultancy #ManagementConsultancy #Management #customer #CustomerSatisfaction #satisfaction #need

In the modern competitive corporate world, creating a profound engaging and productive work environment is a challenge for many organizations. The productivity of an employee is largely dependent on his engagement at his workplace. It is very important for the leadership to keep the team members motivated in order to have a better engagement of the employees and subsequently better productivity.
Read this blog further to understand the steps to create an engaging and productive work environment.
#FaberInfinite #Blog #Solution #Consultancy #ManagementConsultancy #Management

Conduct a power packed analysis exercise to leap into the next league of higher profitability and exponential growth.
Team Faber Infinite Consulting with its global expertise will assist you in highlighting growth opportunities for your business operations.
And it is with our best compliments.